From resistance to resilience. New paradigms in water management in the Netherlands

Abstract

River deltas are one of the most prosperous and threatened ecosystems on Earth. The effects of climate change on deltas compromise their weak environmental balance and, at the same time, safety of the population who lives in lower deltaic plains. The main objective of this article is to explain the paradigm shift in flood risk protection that took place in spatial planning in recent decades with regard to deltas. The case of the Rijn-Maas-Schelde delta, in the Netherlands, shows the conceptual transition from a resistant vision, based on large engineering works with the aim of protecting inhabited areas, to a resilient approach based on ecosystem and water dynamics that have been integrated into flood security policies. Two iconic projects in Dutch hydraulic planning shows this conceptual transition, the Deltaworks (1955-1997), in the southwestern sector, and the Room for rivers Program (2006-2019) that includes the Rijn and Maas riverbed from the upper basin to their sea mouths. In RvR, “Spatial quality” was introduced as a key principle in the formulation of new safety plans and it allowed alliances between social, environmental and economic stakeholders for, not only preservation but natural development of the delta.